I have been playing music and going to festivals for years but I had never been to a Folk festival till I went to Southwell a couple of weeks ago. I was extemly impressed. Audiences who actually listened to the music, stewards who were helpful and friendly and some great music clean loos and chairs (wow I loved the chairs)

I'd like to go to more so tell, whats your favorite Uk or Ireland Folk Festival???

Definitely not Broadstairs - used to be great but not now. The smaller festivals seem to have got it right these days as the larger ones just seem to me to be a roundabout of the same "Big Names" going from festival to festival. Increasingly little space for active participation at the larger festivals.

Great, it was the space and active participation that I really enjoyed at Southwell Banjoman. I had heard that Broadstairs was great, but that was last year. Bromyard looks good, its a lovely part of the country, right by Brinksy Common as I recall. Never heard of Saltburn, where is that?

Got to say Southwell, Nottingham is great. Upton-on- severn seems to have recovered over the last couple of years with plenty of sessions/singarounds.Tredegar House had a great atmosphere also.Chester is a small but very friendly Festival,again with sessions/singarounds.

I's say Moonbeams Wold Top Festival without a doubt. The most beautiful setting imaginable high up on the lovely Yorkshire Wolds, on a farm with its own brewery. Superbly organised, with excellent artistes (Oysterband headlining this year) and the best singaround tent ever. It's on 8/9 July so you'll have to get your skates on.

25 years on from Stanford, I have to agree with Kitty that "The White Horse Festival", or "Grove" for short, is my favourite. Could this be subjective I wonder? This is a small festival, with basic, but adequate, facilities, four or five venues spread some distance apart, perfect camping field and an inclusive, sometimes anarchic, sense of fun and comradeship running throughout the weekend. If you are expecting to stock up on the latest fashions from the East, or to replace your scented candles, or handle fabulously expensive Melodeons, Mandolins, etc., this is not the one for you!

Yes, there is something very appealing about Grove ( "White Horse" ) Festival ; it does have quite an "atmosphere" , and there's even a De Havilland "Venom " jet fighter on display nearby !And I found Bampton (Devon)quirky but very interesting too . But I suppose that ,for me , it will always be Sidmouth , despite the recent "changes" , as I have been going on & off since 1965 , and am always drawn to the idea of playing in the front bar of The Bedford when the "American Old Time" afficianados come in for a session ; I like to stoke up on the fried chicken and sausages that Colin lays on !!

One of the biggest problems that we've come across is that many festivals aren't especially child-friendly. This means that not only should there be some form of entertainment and involvement for kids but that there is a safe environment where they can run around and meet and play with other children instead of having to tag along with parents all the time. That's why we prefer festivals that are on one site rather than spread over different venues across town.

Best open air festival I've been to was the Wickham Folk Festival, yes it is one of the 'big' ones, and I agree most nowadays are over priced and for pseudo folkies only, butWicham had the charm of the lovely village it's set in, amazingly good line up each day. As well stewarded as I've seen, and a wonderful atmosphere.

Best town multi venue festival festival I've been to is The Rhthym & Roots festival in Kilkenny southern Ireland, 90% of the venues were Free shows, all the venues within eassy walking distance, small intimate venues right up to a 2000 seater one. All in the lovely medieval city and lots of fringe trad sessions around the town too. It takes place the last week end in April/May each year

Whitby Folk Week is definately my personal favourite out of all the festivals I have been to but I would also champion Holmfirth Festival of Folk, Cleckheaton Folk Festival, Dentdale Music and Beer festival and the Hardraw Gatherings at The green Dragon Inn. The Moonbeams Wold Top Summer festival is also one I want to get to but haven't been to yet.

Quite a mix there but they all tick the right boxes depending on what I am looking for.

At the end of the day we all like different things.

Some like to get a full festival ticket and sit in concerts all day whilst others may just wish to attend the occasional concert but prefer to get involved in singarounds or musician sessions on the "fringe" of a festival. So it's horses for courses, it all depends on what is 'your thing'!

A lot also depends on where you live and if you can afford to travel long distances to many of the bigger festivals anymore and also afford the full festival season ticket! I can't, so I just go to the ones nearer to home and these are brilliant festivals in their own unique ways.

Wadebridge, because it's my nearest and the one that I have had the longest association with. Sidmouth for Britfolk and friendships, Cambridge for big international acts, Leigh for smaller, interesting acts and friendships, Green Man for the fact that it's become our annual family holiday (wife's birthday weekend & teenage son enjoys it) and, of course, whichever ones book me!

Whitby - just - over Sidmouth for a big festival. As to small uns - too many to mention but W*********y and Sussex song and ale are great. (Must admit to prejudice on the song and ale as I help organise it.)

Sorry Tootler, I'm from way down South, Nottingham is up North to me. Wold looks good, and glad to hear there are chairs. Cleckheaton looks good too, but too far away, I might try Home at Dartington this weekend, anyone been there? Not sure if it qualifies as a folk festival, and unsure about the seating facilities.

Love Whitby, have greatly enjoyed Cheddar, Cropredy, Chippenham and, yes, Cambridge (though not so sure I'd like to be there so much without the press pass), but my experience of all festivals is six or more years out of date.

Saltburn may well produce a terrific festival but was a place to be avoided when I was a lad growing up 30 miles or so to the west. There was a workingmen's club trip each year and I still hear the howls of anguish if it was going to Saltburn instead of Whitley Bay and the Spanish City amusement park.

I go to many a festival and my favourite has got to be Bromyard, its like a big festival with everything on site but all the friendly atmosphere of a smaller one. Always a good variety of music and a beautifull town within walking distance, morris & folk welcoming pubs with lashing of lovely Wye Valley Beers. My heart warms with a pint of Butty Bach in my mit.

Well that is sorted then, see you ALL at White Horse in Aug! www.whitehorsefolkfestival.co.uk My favs. (in date order) Chippers, Cleck, Warwick, W********Y. Cleck next weekend. Looking fwd. to it. By the time we get there I will have met my brother for the first time ever, yes, ever! We are going to meet him in Darlington on the Thurs. & travel to Cleck on the Fri. At the age of 58 I am about to meet my first blood relative - apart from the creatures that we have bred. 3 sisters still to meet, they live in Belfast. Skipy

Whitby for me too. It is spread about the town, so lots of climbing up and down the cliff and waiting for the harbour swing bridge so that we can run from Dance Workshop to pub Music Session, to Concert. Loads of participation. Not so many fashionable 'big names', but more of 'my folk heros'. You can learn to do almost anything folkie, I arrived early for a session and found myself with a set of pipes stuck under my arm once. The thing I like is the range of expertise catered for. Some dance workshops raise your standard because you are dancing with so many experts. There are music sessions for experts too (some in pubs only known by those who know), but also 'slow and steady' sessions and even a 'not quite ready for a session' for those who would get left behind. I've given up going to the sing-arounds, you have to get there early to get a good seat, and we are too busy dancing to get there early.

Broadstairs is fine- if you like concerts - and listening to bands in pubs. If you want to sing or play yourself - opportunities are few, and the venues get uncomfortably crowded. Also, they seem set in their ways about who they book. Sidmouth is better set up, with its Fringe Festival, though being able to play on the seafront is hampered by the huge numbers of traders.